Manufacturing processes of semiconductor devices are continuously improving in order to support improved technologies and aggressive cost targets. Integrated circuits (ICs) are becoming increasingly complex, integrating higher numbers of components and functions. As semiconductor technology improves, the characteristic component size and layer thickness decreases, allowing more functionality to fit into smaller dies. In parallel, the competitive consumer market drives semiconductor manufacturers to comply with increasingly aggressive cost targets.
The speed and quality of testing semiconductor wafers in the production line has a significant effect on the manufacturing throughput, the achievable yield and the reliability of the finished product. All of these factors affect the final product cost.
One of the methods used for testing semiconductor wafers is X-ray fluorescence (XRF) measurement, and specifically X-ray microfluorescence (i.e., X-ray fluorescence using narrow, focused excitation beams). X-ray fluorescence is a well-known technique for determining the elemental composition of a sample. XRF analyzers generally include an X-ray source, which irradiates the sample, and an X-ray detector, for detecting the X-ray fluorescence emitted by the sample in response to the irradiation. Each element in the sample emits X-ray fluorescence in energy bands that are characteristic of the element. The detected X-ray fluorescence is analyzed to find the energies or, equivalently, the wavelengths of the detected photons, and the qualitative and/or quantitative composition of the sample is determined based on this analysis.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,108,398, whose disclosure is incorporated herein by reference, describes an XRF analyzer and a method for analyzing a sample. The analyzer includes an X-ray beam generator, which generates an X-ray beam incident at a spot on the sample and creates a plurality of fluorescent X-ray photons. An array of semiconductor detectors is arranged around the spot so as to capture the fluorescent X-ray photons. The analyzer produces electrical pulses suitable for analysis of the sample.
The use of X-ray microfluorescence for testing semiconductor wafers is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,351,516, whose disclosure is incorporated herein by reference. The patent describes a non-destructive method for testing the deposition and/or the removal of a material within a recess on the surface of a sample. An excitation beam is directed onto a region of the sample in a vicinity of the recess, and an intensity of X-ray fluorescence emitted from the region is measured. A quantity of the material that is deposited within the recess is determined responsive to the measured intensity.
Another application of X-ray microfluorescence is described by Lankosz et al., in a paper entitled “Research in Quantitative X-ray Fluorescence Microanalysis of Patterned Thin Films,” Advances in X-ray Analysis, volume 43, 1999, pages 497–503, which is incorporated herein by reference. The authors describe a method for X-ray fluorescence microanalysis using a collimated micro-beam. The method is applied for testing the thickness and uniformity of thin films prepared by ion sputtering techniques.